The Seiko SNE049 is part of the new Seiko solar powered watch family. Seiko entered the solar powered watch game back in the 70’s, and there popularity has increased lately. Seiko introduced this new movement at Basel in 2010 and many new watches have been introduced using solar power since it’s introduction.

At first glance, the dial looks dark, almost black. But upon further investigating, it’s a deep dark blue sunburst dial.

Under bright light, the blue sunburst dial comes to life.

The dial is uncluttered, with applied silver baton markers and Seiko Logo. The hands are pencil style silver in color with Lumibrite Lume applied to the hour and minute hand. There are also Lumibrite Lume at each hour marker on the dial for easy night time reading. I have always found Seiko’s Lumibrite lume bright and long lasting. This model also has the day and date located at the 3 o’clock position. The day can be displayed in English or Spanish. All of this is protected by a Hardlex crystal that sits flush with the bezel.

Case:
The case is stainless steel, that has a mix of brushed and polished treatments.
It measures 37mm across, aprox 10mm thick, and the lugs are 19mm wide. The case feels nice and solid with a decent weight to it for a quartz movement.

The bezel is smooth and polished as well as the lug shoulders. The sides are brushed stainless steel.

The caseback is solid stainless steel that screws down, providing the watch with a water resistance of 30 meters.

Strap:

The strap is made of black leather with black stitching and it’s 19mm wide.

It uses a buckle and tang with the Seiko logo embossed.

Movement:

The movement is the Seiko Caliber V158 solar powered quartz. It uses a Lith-ion power cell that is charged by a photogenic solar cell under the dial. With a full charge, it can stay powered for 10 months without light! Accuracy with this movement is accurate to +/- 15 seconds per month that is on par with most quartz movements. You can find out more about Seiko’s solar technology at the end of this review.

Final Thoughts:

I find this watch very solid for the price point. The fit and finish is superb as are most of Seiko’s watches. It has a nice weight to it, but isn’t too heavy for the wrist and wears very light and comfortable. This would be a great daily watch for the causal user and would go with a suit well also. Even though the dial is blue, it isn’t overwhelming which makes it a good business causal watch as well. At 37mm it would be best suited for a smaller wrist or, if your tastes runs in the traditional watch sizes. If blue isn’t your color, or maybe you want a bracelet instead of a leather strap, your in luck. The watch comes in a variety of dial colors and strap/bracelet options. You can find this watch and many more over at Discount Watch Store. Watches - Brand Name Watches | DiscountWatchStore.com

Solar Technology The inside story
The appeal of this new generation of SEIKO Solar watches lies in the simple practicality of the new SEIKO Solar technology:
· The watches are powered by all kinds of light, not only sun light.
· The watches charge very quickly. In most SEIKO Solar calibres, just two minutes of sun light delivers one day of charge and the watch is fully charged after three hours.
· The watch retains the charge for an extended period. When worn regularly, the watch will remain fully charged, of course, but even if left in pitch blackness for six months, (or 12 in some models) the watch continues to work normally.
· If the watch is without power, it will start to operate completely normally after just eight minutes of exposure to sun light (30 minutes for some models).
· Because no battery change is ever required, the watch is virtually maintenance free. While we recommend occasional servicing as with any watch, the wearer can rely on the full operability of the watch for an extended period with no fear of the battery draining - ever!